Girdle



Dec. 13, 1938.

M. SIMON GIRDLE Filed Sept. 10, 1957 Zmventor (Ittomeg Patented Dec. 13,1938 UNITED STATES- GIBDLE Max Simon, New York, N. Y., assignor to I. B.Kleinert Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication September 10, 1937, Serial No. 163,230

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-37) This invention relates to wearing apparel and moreparticularly to foundation garments such as girdles.

Girdles are customarily constructed in whole or in part of elasticmaterial such as knit fabric including elastic threads arranged in thefabric and disposed in the girdle so that the latterpossesses'substantial elasticity circumferentially of the wearer andalso limited stretch longitudinally of the wearer by reason of the knitformation of the fabric. In girdles constructed of such elastic materialand provided with an upper front portion which projects above thewaist-line in position to overlie the wearers diaphragm for preventingbulging of the latter, difliculty has been experienced in attaching theedge binding to said projecting portion of the girdle due to the looseends of the textile and elastic threads at said edge of the projectingportion of the girdle. In other words, when the edge binding is stitcheddirectly to the edges of the projecting portion of .the girdle, thesecurement of the edge binding is defective and unsatisfactory andfrequently said edge binding separates from said edge of the girdleportion or is pulled away by the force exerted on the shoulder strapswhich are attached to or adjacent said binding in girdles of this type.It is therefore an object of the present invention to eliminate thisdifllculty and for that purpose to provide the edge of the projectingportion of the girdle with means serving to securely anchor the stitchesby which the edge binding isv attached. v

It is also an object of the invention to provide a girdle of thecharacter described composed of two-way stretch material and providedwith an upwardly projecting portion arranged to overlie the wearersdiaphragm and provided with shoulder straps for holding said portion ofthe girdle 0 in place and to prevent the upper edge of the girdle fromrolling downwardly.

The above objects of theinvention and other objects which mighthereinafter appear will best be understood from the followingdescription con- 45 sidered with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a girdle embodying the present invention;

5 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, on an enlarged scale, of theupwardly projecting part of the girdle before the attachment of the edgebinding;

Fig. 3 is aview similar to Fig. 2 showing the u edge binding attached.

which they are attached.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the girdle Ill made inaccordance with the present invention comprises a body portion i2composed of knit fabric containing textile threads and elastic threadsinterknit therewith and ex- 5 tending circumferentially of the girdle asindicated more or less diagrammatically by the transversely extendinglines It. Due to the construction of the fabric said girdle hassubstantial elasticity circumferentially of the wearer and has limitedelas- 1o ticity longitudinally of the wear, whereby the girdle is of thetype known as a two-way stretch girdle. Said girdle may be formed fromflat knit material or. as here shown from tubular knit material wherebythe body portion I2 is circum- 15 ferentially continuous therebyobviating the necessity for a seam for securing the ends of the bodyportion. p

In accordance witlrthe present invention girdle I0 is also'provided withan upwardly projecting 2o portion l6 integral with body portion l2 andextending above the normal waist-line of the girdle for overlying thewearer's diaphragm to prevent bulging of the latter. Said extendedportion is defined by upwardly converging edges and is of asprogressively decreasing width toward said edges. Said portion is formedby cutting the same from the material in integral relation to thematerial forming body portion II. The unbound edges of said projectingportion are thus cut edges. An 80 elastic edge binding I8 is securedcontinuously around the upper edge of the girdle, and a similar elasticedge binding 20 is secured to the lower edge of the girdle continuouslytherearound whereby said edges are circumferentially elastic 35 togetherwith the edge portions of the girdle to Adjustable shoulder straps 22and 24 are stitched at their ends to the pointed end portion ofprojection l6 at'the front of the girdle and to spaced points at theback 40 I of the girdle at the upper edge thereof.

As previously indicated when the edge binding I8 is stitched directly tothe-material of projecting portion l6, attachment of the edge binding isinsecure, principally because of the cut edges of said portion, with theresult that said edge binding is frequently pulled away and separatedfrom the material of said projecting portion and it is also difllcult toproperly attach the ends of the shoulder straps to the girdle. In orderto obviate this dimculty provision is made for securely holding thethreads I (Fig. 3) by which edge binding I8 is attached. This isaccomplished in accordance with the present invention, as illustrated inFig. 2, b7 stitching through the marginal edge portion 28 of projectingportion ii for the full length of said projecting portion at the cutedges thereof, that is from a point A just rearwardly of one side of thegirdle to a point B Just rearwardly of the other side of the girdle. Thestitching utilized for this purpose, as indicated by the referencenumeral 30, in Fig. 2, is done on a machine known as a Wilcox andGibbsflat lock, four needle machine. As stitching of this character is wellknown to those skilled in the art further illustration-or descriptionthereof is considered unnecessary. As here shown said stitchingcomprises a plurality of interlocked threads whichpass through themarginaledge portion of projecting part l6 of the girdle therebysecuring together the ends of the knit threads of the girdle material,including the elastic threads and thereby holding them in place. Saidstitching 30 is disposed over a marginal-surface area corresponding inwidth substantially to the width of the folded portions 32 of edgebinding IS on both surfaces of said projecting portion thus not onlyinterconnecting the threads of the knit fabric but also reinforcing themarginal edge portion of the knit material and providing thread portionson both surfaces of said marginal edge oprtion for interengagement withstitching 26 by which the edge binding is attached. In this manner asecure attachment between the edge binding and the edge of projectingportion i6 is obtained whereby to prevent said edge binding from beingpulled oil or otherwise separating from said projecting portion.

While stitching 30 is normally inelastic, the edges of portion l6provided with said stitching g possess suflicient elasticity by reasonof the bias cut of the material of said projecting portion. In order,however, to prevent stitching 30 from interfering with the elasticity ofthe upper rear edge portion of the girdle,'said stitching terminatessubstantially at the sides of the girdle as previously described withreference to points A and B indicated in Fig. 1, stitching of said rearupper edge portion of the girdle being unnecessary as the material ofthe girdle at said edge portion is continuous together with theremaining part of the body portion I! of the girdle, and the continuousknit material at said rear upper edge portion providessuflcientanchorage to edge binding l8. e

Thus'it is seen that the construction herein shown and described iswelladapted to accomplish the several objects of the invention. It willbe funderstood, however, that while the girdle constructed as here shownconstitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention, certain changesin the construction and arrangement of parts and in the form of thegirdle may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. Accordingly, I do not wish to be limited precisely to thepresent construction except as may be required by the appended claimsconsidered with I reference to the prior art.

er and limited stretch longitudinally of the wearer, a portion integralwith and extended from the upper part of said body portion at the-frontof the girdle and of progressively decreasing width toward its outeredge, a plurality of threads stitched through the marginal edge of saidextended portion, said threads terminating substantially at the sides ofthe girdle and an edge binding folded over said stitched marginal edgeon both surfaces thereof and stitched thereto inwardly of the edges ofsaid extended portion.

2. A girdle comprising a body encircling portion comprisingcircumferentially endless tubular knit fabric which possessessubstantial elasticity circumferentially of the wearer and limitedstretch longitudinally of the wearer, a portion integral with said bodyportion and extended upwardly therefrom, said extended portion havingupwardly converging bias cut edges, means for securing the threads ofsaid extended portion at said cut edges comprising additional threadsstitched through a marginal edge of said extended portion, said threadsterminating substantially at the sides of the girdle, and an elasticedge binding stitched by additional. threads to said marginal edge ofthe extended portion inwardly of said bias-cut edges thereof.

MAX SIMON.

